Originally Posted by
Prospero
Yes, the days of short haul hospitality are over. It’s the norm now for oneworld European services (BA, IB, and AY) but at least Finnair offers Emeralds a free drink from the menu and tea/coffee/juice for all
Originally Posted by
orbitmic
I’m surprised people are still surprised, but continuous indignation simply means that those who thought ‘oh well, that’s the way the industry is going, whiners will get used to it’ were wrong and failed to appreciate that for many of us, BoB affects the very identity of an airline and the entire onboard experience and notably interaction with cabin crew who are the ‘face of the airline’.
There are many things I continue disapproving in this world well after I have accepted that they are here to stay, because nothing has changed about their causes, consequences, or what they say about the person or company that enacts them. Whilst BoB is a very minor example, it nonetheless squarely fits into that description and I suspect the same is true of many other frequent ET passengers.
Just like BoB, the indignation is here to stay.
Originally Posted by
Misco60
It really is time that the public moved on and stopped expecting free food and drink on short-haul economy class flights. They wouldn't expect it on a 2-hour bus or train journey, so why on a plane? It's decades since flying was glamorous or special.
Passengers might be won over if BA made more of an effort to load enough food and drink so that everyone who wanted to buy something was able to do so rather than running out at row 11.
Originally Posted by
orbitmic
Because most European legacy airlines offer it. Why would you stop expecting something you usually get?
It's like saying that you should stop expecting vegetables with your mains in restaurants because when you go to a supermarket, Tesco and Waitrose don't (usually) throw in free sprouts or cauliflower when you buy a steak. Sure, Italian restaurants have gone that way and give you a fish or meat without any side which you can buy separately if you want, but most other countries still have restaurants which automatically include sides and there is not particular reason people should stop expecting that as a result.
[Was anyone missing those restaurant metaphors yet?!
}
Originally Posted by
CeeGee
The vast majority of the UK travelling public have no idea that forums such as this exist and get their information(right or wrong dependant on where they get it)from the press or news.
Take Mr and Mrs Average with two children,for the last ten years, once a year they have taken package holidays where all they have had to do is roll up at a travel agent,pick where they want to go,pay money and everything else is taken care of,no research is needed.
They now decide to have a bit of "luxury" away from a package holiday and fly independently,they have read all the sensations about Ryanair and the like but generally think that they will pay extra and travel with a "proper" airline.
They are not used to "researching" their holidays,they have only heard good things about the "proper" airlines.So they book their flights,this is when the shock kicks in,no free food and booze,paying for seat selection.This is not what they paid for(They think).
Please FT posters,have a bit of sympathy for Mr and Mrs Average,they dont have the knowledge or experience you have,yes it is one heck of a shock to find an airline you have only heard good of in the past,and now paid extra to travel with,has become not much better than the cheap package holiday flights they are used to.
Originally Posted by
orbitmic
I very much agree with your summary, and particularly about the "moving parts". Whilst BoB probably contributed to perceptual negativity, the significant improvements to CW and F soft products and soon the new CW cabins will undoubtedly generate positivity at pretty much the same times, so without the granular information that IAG will certainly not share with us (think of it, though, how cool would it be if FTers were graced with a unique insight into data others don't access on what fellow customers do and do not appreciate!!!) it's really impossible to be sure.
To your list of what did not happen, I would also add that in my view, if this had been an overwhelming success, chances are that BA's main competitors such as LH and AF would have emulated them and gone BoB in short haul Y which has not happened (arguably, the opposite as AF offering has improved). For instance, I dislike both HBO and 10 across in Y, but those nasty measures piloted by a few rogue airlines years ago have quickly become the norm across Europe, suggesting that airlines "spy" on each other's measures and when they feel that the savings largely outweigh the reputational costs, they are more than happy to sacrifice passengers' comfort.
There was similarly more than a hint from the BA leadership at the time BoB was introduced that this was the direction the industry was taking, and that other European majors would quickly follow suit. At this time, they have not and that is a marked contrast with HBO and 10 across.
......
The above recent points of view I believe are highlighted by
this recent Which? survey of airline food and the outcome of BA being ranked 4th from the bottom with 58%:
Many BA flyers are still reeling that the airline no longer offers complimentary refreshments on some routes. One customer went as far as to describe the food choice as ‘abysmally poor’ and 'akin to offerings at some British motorway stations, but more expensive’. Others blamed cost cutting for a drop in quality, describing the meals as ‘fatty and unhealthy’ - while several passengers with special dietary requirements told us they weren’t well catered for.
My comments and thoughts:
- I'm disappointed how Which just says food isn't free on "some routes". I think this is confusing for the average traveller (ie,anyone who doesn't read this or any other FF forum!). They should have said it isn't offered on European flights - let's not confuse things with LCY offering for now please! They really need to differentiate long haul from short haul ops for those airlines that offer them like AA and QF, although the later does still offer free food on it's domestic flights and reasonably tasty at that. AA is introducing it on the longer domestics I believe. The "average traveller" just doesn't get it until they have travelled. I'm sure some still expect BA to serve roast meals from a carving trolley in the aisle.
- The survey seems to be about long haul flights, but mentioning no complimentary catering seems to me that the researchers are mixing their long haul and short haul results (for a sensational headline?).
- The price is a factor and there was a recent "Save money" type tv show recently that highlighted M&S vs BA food prices. I can't remember the exact prices, but they bought a sandwich, crisps and chocolate for about £3 in a high street. At M&S's shop at Gatwick they paid about £4.50 and on board the BA flight the same items cost around £6 something, iirc - happy to be corrected. Some aviation person explained that it costs more as it had to clear security, be loaded into the bars etc etc. So the choice is yours if you want to grab a sandwich on the high street to save money if you have time and don't mind it being out of a chilled environment for several hours before eating it.
- The comment about food being fatty and unhealthy doesn't specify if it's BoB or the standard long haul Y menu. BoB is fairly restrictive in how fresh it can be and I've found most items quite stodgy with little in the way of fresh veg on the sandwiches. Same on easyjet. Long haul I'm a bit surprised. Looking at the pics on Airlinemeals.net the meals seem what I'd term as balanced in terms of protein, starch and veg (let's not get embroiled in a conversation about taste here!).
I really think BA has got itself in a pickle over this as it's reputation is getting more of a battering. Given that they've unbundled everything else now, why not re introduce meals as a paid for option like the charter airlines do? Ideally they'd still have BoB for those that want it, although that probably means more of admin and logistic headache for them.
You'll never please everyone. Not til everyone that remembers free food Intra-Europe stop flying!